The present invention relates generally to toys for infants and, more particularly, to a crib mobile that is detachably mountable to an infant's bed or crib and which is specifically adapted to support a plurality of character elements on a rotatable support frame having sufficient rigidity in order to allow support of generally heavier character elements and to allow greater movement and articulation options for such character elements for visual stimulation of an infant. The crib mobile is also adapted to provide visual stimulation through musical instruments which are attached to the character elements and which, during rotation of the support frame, are “played” in simulated fashion by the character elements. The simulated “playing” of the musical instrument may occur in concert with preprogrammed music that is transmitted through speakers included with the crib mobile.
As is well known to parents, commonly found in many nurseries are mobiles which are attached to an infant's crib. These mobiles are typically attachable to a portion of the crib such as a crib railing. Some mobiles are provided with a wind-up musical element or music box component that is operative to play a melody while simultaneously rotating a portion of the crib mobile. Traditionally, crib mobiles include elongate plastic arms that are suspended from the music box component with each of the plastic arms having interesting and visually stimulating devices dangling therefrom.
It is common practice to provide such visually stimulating devices (i.e., toys, stuffed animals, etc.) to entertain the infant when confined to certain situations such as a crib or in a baby chair, a car seat or a playpen. In such confined situations, it is desirable that the chosen device enhances the developmental capabilities of the infant. In addition, it is known that providing a familiar toy or device for the infant may even serve to soothe and calm the infant in certain situations.
In the interest of providing character elements that can capture an infant or young child's interest, it is desirable that such character elements are capable of a variety of movement options with greater articulation such that the infant may be left unattended for lengthier periods of time without adult interaction. Included in the prior art are a variety of infant mobile configurations which include various character elements dangling therefrom but which may be limited in the amount of movement. The limitations in movement may be due to a lack of the necessary joints that must be incorporated into the character element but which may be necessarily omitted due to strength limitations of the support frame from which the character elements may be suspended.
As such, there exists a need in the art for a crib mobile which may be mounted to a crib or bed of an infant and which is specifically adapted to support heavier character elements as compared to crib mobiles of the prior art. In addition, there exists a need in the art for a crib mobile having the capability to support character elements with greater degrees of articulation in order to provide higher degrees of stimulation in comparison to crib mobiles of the prior art.